COVID-19 in a Dutch Nursing Home: A Longitudinal Retrospective Care-Home-Level Case Study on Infection Rate, Survival Rate, and Daily Functioning

During the pandemic, nursing homes in the Netherlands were heavily affected by COVID-19. This study assesses the impact of COVID-19 on infection rate, survival rate, and daily functioning over the course of two years among residents of a nursing home in the Netherlands that was amongst the first nursing homes to be affected by the pandemic. This retrospective study followed 70 residents during a two-year period, starting in March 2020. Data were collected on baseline characteristics of participants and the onset, duration, and sequelae of COVID-19 infections. Primary outcomes were mortality and infection rate. The secondary outcome was daily functioning using the Barthel Index at intervals of six months. Within two years, 44 (62.9%) residents were diagnosed with COVID-19. During this study, 72.7% (n = 32) of the COVID-positive residents died, of which 22 deaths were related to the COVID-19 infection. Overall mortality was 60% (n = 42), while COVID-related mortality was 31.4% (n = 22). COVID-19 and multimorbidity (>3 morbidities) were independent risk factors for mortality. Barthel Index scores showed no significant difference in daily functioning. Overall, a high COVID-19 infection rate was seen and was the most common cause of death. COVID-19 did not affect functional status over time

Measuring the quality of care in nursing home residents with early-onset neurodegenerative diseases:a scoping review

Background Nursing home residents with early-onset neurodegenerative diseases are often younger in comparison with other residents, and need different, often more complex care. Accordingly, the measurements currently used for measuring quality of care in nursing homes may not be suitable for use in this target group. Little is known about the experiences of these residents and of their (in) formal caregivers regarding the quality of care they receive. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review is to explore which instruments are available for measuring the quality of care for nursing home residents with early-onset neurodegenerative diseases (excluding dementia), from the perspective of the resident and of (in) formal caregivers. Methods A literature search was performed in the databases Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and Cinahl. The search strategy consisted of four main concepts: neurodegenerative diseases, quality of care, nursing homes and perspectives of residents, (in) formal caregivers. Studies were included if they used instruments and/or strategies to measure quality of care, focused on nursing home residents with early-onset neurodegenerative diseases and the perspective of either the resident or (in) formal caregiver. Results From a total of 809 identified articles, 87 full text articles were screened for eligibility. Five studies were included, only one of which described an instrument. The other four used topic lists and/or themes to measure quality of care. In total, 60 items related to quality of care could be derived. From these 60 items, eight overarching domains were found, with a subdivision into items derived, respectively, from the residents', informal and formal caregivers' perspective: 'emotional support', 'physical support', 'social support', 'care', 'care content', 'expertise', 'communication' and 'organization of care'. Conclusions Currently, there are no methods for assessing the quality of care specifically focused on nursing home residents with early-onset neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, the items retrieved in this review give an overview of important topics for measuring the quality of care for this target group, from the perspective of the resident, and of the informal and formal caregivers. These items might be used to develop a tailored instrument for assessing the quality of care for nursing home residents with early-onset neurodegenerative diseases

Experiences of (care) professionals during a COVID-19 outbreak and results of serological tests in the staff of a heavily affected nursing home.

Despite compliance with national (RIVM) guidelines, nursing home Mariënburght (the Netherlands) was severely affected during the first COVID-19 wave: 68 (68%) of the residents were infected. This resulted in a large emotional impact on the (nursing) staff. This study aims to describe the experiences of (nursing) staff, as well as the results of serological tests on COVID-19 that have been administered to professionals. All professionals (n=281) were invited for group interviews to share their experiences concerning the COVID-19 outbreak and for a serological test for COVID-19. The 29 professionals participating in the group interviews mentioned negative and positive experiences about their fear and anxiety, the changed care for residents, the team spirit, the use of personal protective equipment and the testing policy. Out of 240 professionals who underwent the serological test and completed a questionnaire, 94 professionals (39%) had COVID-19 antibodies. In this group, 18 professionals (19%) indicated not having experienced any (physical) complaints related to COVID. Insight into the experiences of professionals resulted in essential learning points, in particular the importance of clear communication with and emotional support for staff. This study also reveals that many professionals of nursing home Mariënburght were affected by COVID-19. An important finding is the high percentage of asymptomatic employees (19% of 94 infected). Our results contributed to changed national testing policies and adapted recommendations in the use of personal protective equipment in nursing homes